Device for fixing a wire on a carrier element provided with at least an opening and carrier assembly for cable troughs comprising at least said device

ABSTRACT

A device for fixing a wire to a support member in which there is at least one opening and a support member for a cable duct including the fixing device.

The present invention relates to a fixing device for fixing a wire to asupport member in which there is at least one opening.

The problem of fixing a wire to a support member often arises; forexample, it arises when fixing a mesh structure made of wires weldedtogether; one example of a mesh structure is a generally U-shaped cableduct which is made of longitudinal wires welded to transverse wires bentinto a U shape; a cable duct is adapted to receive electrical, telephoneor data cables, optical fibers, etc. This is known in the art.

The use of a fixing section having a plane surface adapted to receivethe bottom of the cable duct and provided with lugs adapted to cooperatewith the wires of the bottom of the cable duct to fix this kind of meshstructure has already been proposed, for example in the document FR-A-2697 690.

According to that document, a sheetmetal fixing section has a planesurface on which rest longitudinal bottom wires of a cable duct of thekind shown in perspective in FIG. 4, which are welded to U-shapedtransverse wires.

The plane surface of the section has at least two elongate openings init in which lugs are formed by cutting and bending.

Before the fixing operation is performed, the lugs are conformed into atongue that extends parallel to the plane surface of the section at adistance from that plane surface globally equal to the diameter of thelongitudinal bottom wires.

To fix the cable duct, it is placed on the plane surface of the sectionand moved in translation so that the bottom wires engage under thetongues of the lugs up to the point at which they abut against theconnection of each tongue to the plane surface of the section; thebottom wires repeat at predetermined intervals and the position of thelugs must of course correspond to those intervals.

To complete the fixing operation all that remains is to bend the tonguesof the lugs toward the plane surface of the section and around thelongitudinal bottom wires using any suitable tool, or preferably using aspecial tool such as the tool 100 shown in FIG. 6, which is marketed bythe applicant.

The above arrangement is satisfactory for fixing a mesh structure, buthas a number of drawbacks.

Firstly, the section with lugs matches only one particular type of wiremesh cable duct, with which it is designed to cooperate, the distancebetween the lugs having to correspond exactly to the distance betweenthe longitudinal wires of the cable duct.

Secondly, the fixing sections must be perfectly aligned with each otherif a sinuous route of the cable duct is to be avoided. Such alignmentpresupposes a similar alignment of the structures supporting the fixingsections, such as walls or posts, which cannot always be perfectlyobtained.

A section with lugs is not suitable for fixing a structure which is notof the mesh kind, but of the globally solid kind; for example, U-shapedcross-section perforated sheetmetal cable ducts are known in the cableduct art; for these a section with no lugs is provided, having in aplane surface perforations with which openings in the bottom of thecable duct are aligned so that the cable duct can be fixed by means ofnuts and bolts. The L-shaped section 11 shown in FIG. 1 is one exampleof a perforated section of this kind; it has a horizontal part 18carrying a plane flange 12 and a vertical part 19 which is attached to asupport member such as a wall 10; the plane top flange 12 incorporatesperforations 13 which are preferably elongate to ensure that theperforations in the globally solid structure line up with them.

Thus two types of section are needed to fix a mesh structure and aglobally solid structure.

An object of the present invention is to alleviate this drawback. Itrelates to a device for fixing a wire to a support member in which thereis at least one opening, without lugs, so that a single type of supportmember can be used to fix at least one wire, such as longitudinal wiresof a mesh structure, or a globally solid structure.

Another aim is for the wire fixing device to be suitable for more thanone type of mesh structure with slightly different spacings of thelongitudinal wires, of the order of a few millimeters at most.

Another aim is for the fixing device to accommodate imperfect alignmentof the support members.

Another aim is for the fixing device to operate regardless of theposition of the support member.

According to the invention, a fixing device which can be used to fix awire to a support member having a plane flange in which there is atleast one perforation is characterized in that it is made of sheetmetaland includes a globally plane baseplate from which emerges a lug adaptedto be passed through said perforation and to engage over the wire.

The dimensions of the baseplate are such that it cannot pass through theopening or openings in the plane flange of the support member.

The lug advantageously includes a tongue parallel to the baseplate towhich it is joined by a heelpiece and the tongue is at a distance fromthe baseplate globally equal to the diameter of the wire to be fixedplus the thickness of the plane flange of the support member.

The lug is preferably formed by the material originally occupying thecut-out in the baseplate; the cut-out is advantageously generallyrectangular.

The tongue is preferably just above the cut-out that it overlies.

The edge of the cut-out facing the heelpiece of the lug and the edge ofthe baseplate near the heelpiece are preferably formed into inclinedclaws on the same side as the lug.

Alternatively, two facing edges of the cut-out carry inclined claws onthe same side as the lug.

The baseplate preferably has two rims on the opposite side of thebaseplate to the lug.

In a different embodiment of the invention the baseplate has two rims onthe same side of the baseplate as the lug; said rims are preferablyprovided with claws.

In one particular application of the fixing device according to theinvention the device is designed for fixing a mesh structure in the formof a cable duct.

The present invention also relates to a support system for a wire meshcable duct consisting of the combination of at least one fixing deviceaccording to the invention and a support member in which there is atleast one elongate perforation in a plane flange.

The support member is, for example, a section in the form of anangle-iron, an angle-bracket, a hanger, a swing-arm, etc. for fixing thecable duct to a vertical wall, to posts, or to a ceiling, using thebottom wires of the cable duct or the side wires.

The support member preferably has at least two perforations in it, thereare preferably at least two associated fixing devices, and theperforations are preferably disposed on the flange of the support memberto cooperate with different longitudinal wires of the cable duct.

In order to explain the subject matter of the invention, embodiments ofthe invention shown in the accompanying drawings by way of purelyillustrative and non-limiting example will now be described.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial view in section taken along the line 1—1 in FIG. 4and showing the use of a prior art perforated section to fix a meshcable duct using a fixing device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view to a larger scale of a fixing deviceaccording to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a view analogous to FIG. 2 of a different embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a detail view showing the use of the device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a tool that can be used with the fixingdevice shown in FIGS. 1 to 4;

FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 2 and shows a different embodiment of thefixing device according to the invention; and

FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 2 and shows a further embodiment of the fixingdevice according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a support member in the form of a section 11 withperforations 13, usually used to support in a fixed manner a globallysolid structure, and here equipped with fixing devices 20 according tothe invention enabling the same section 11 to carry in a fixed mannerwires 6 such as longitudinal wires of a mesh structure, here a cableduct 5.

FIG. 2 shows a fixing device 20 according to the invention inperspective and to a larger scale. FIG. 2 shows that the fixing device20 has a generally rectangular baseplate 21 whose length and width aregreater than the length and width of the perforations 13 in the section11, from which emerges a lug 24; the fixing device 20 is made ofsheetmetal and in this example the lug 24 is formed by the materialoriginally occupying a generally rectangular cut-out 25 in the baseplate21, preferably extending along its median longitudinal axis. The lug 24includes a tongue 22 which is advantageously parallel to the baseplate21, to which it is joined by a heelpiece 23 globally perpendicular toit; the height of the heelpiece 23 is of the same order of magnitude asthe diameter of the wire 6 to be fixed plus the thickness of the planeflange 12 of the fixing section 11.

The tongue 22 lies just above the cut-out 25 that it overlies.

To make the fixing device 20 sufficiently rigid when it is made fromthin sheetmetal, the baseplate 21 has two rims 26, 27 along itslongitudinal edges on the side opposite that incorporating the lug 24;the rims 26, 27 are advantageously perpendicular to the baseplate 21.

The transverse edge of the cut-out 25 which faces the heelpiece 23 ofthe lug 24 is cut and bent to form a claw 28 inclined to the baseplate21 on the same side as the lug 24.

The transverse edge of the baseplate 21 near the heelpiece 23 is alsocut and bent to form an inclined claw 29 on the same side as the claw28; the claws 28 and 29 are therefore on respective opposite sides ofthe heelpiece 23 of the lug 24 and bracket the tongue 22 longitudinally,so to speak.

The use of the fixing device 20 according to the invention follows fromthe preceding description.

FIG. 1 shows the fixing device 20 offered up with the top face of thebaseplate 21 cooperating with the bottom face of the plane flange 12 ofthe section 11. The tongue 22 and its heelpiece have passed through theelongate perforation 13 in the section 11.

In this example the fixing device 20 does not include any claws 28 or 29and the baseplate 21 is directly in contact with the section 11.

The fixing device 20 in the right-hand part of FIG. 1 is shown justbefore the fixing operation as such; the device shown in the left-handpart of FIG. 1 is already operational, as the tongue 22 has been bentaround the longitudinal wire 6 and toward the surface of the section 11using a screwdriver or preferably the tool 100 shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cable duct 5 fixed in this way tothe section 11.

FIG. 5 shows the fixing device 20 with claws 28 and 29 shown in FIG. 2in its operational position: by cooperating with the bottom face of theplane flange 12 of the section 11, the claws 28, 29 improveimmobilization of the fixing device 20 relative to the section 11 in itslongitudinal direction; the claw 28 can advantageously locate againstthe edge of the perforation 13, inside the perforation.

In a different embodiment, not shown, the claw 28 is inside anadditional opening in the plane flange 12 of the section 11, instead ofthe perforation 13.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 the claw 28 is replaced by a largerclaw 58 which is designed to cooperate with the bottom face of the planeflange 12 of the section 11, like the claw 29.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 the fixing device 20 also carriesclaws 38, 39 but in this case they are formed by cutting and bending thelongitudinal edges of the cut-out 25.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the fixing device 20 in which thestiffener rims 46, 47 are on the same side of the baseplate 21 as thelug 24; this arrangement enables claws 48, 49 in the form of teeth to beformed simply by cutting out said rims 46, 47; the claws 48, 49 areadvantageously formed in line with the lug 24; of course, in this casethe height of the heelpiece 23 allows not only for the diameter of thewire 6 to be fixed plus the thickness of the plane flange 12 of thesection 11, but also the height of the claws 48, 49 relative to thebaseplate 21.

Note that because of the elongate shape of the perforations 13 in thefixing section 12, the fixing device 20 according to the invention isable to accommodate fabrication tolerances because it can be movedlongitudinally relative to the section before the fixing operationproper, i.e. before bending its tongue 22.

This also enables the same perforated fixing sections 11 to be used withcable ducts 5 in which the spacing of the longitudinal wires 6 is notexactly the same, the permitted variation in the spacing beingdetermined by the length of the elongate perforations 13 in the sectionsand being of the order of a few millimeters.

Similarly, by moving the fixing device 20 longitudinally relative to thesection 11, it is possible to compensate poor alignment of the support10 in line with the sections 11 and preserve the alignment of the cableduct.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fixing device which can be used to fix a wire(6) to a support member (11) having a plane flange (12) wherein there isat least one perforation (13), characterized in that it is made of sheetmetal and includes a globally plane base plate (21) from which emerges asingle lug (24) having dimensions defined for the lug to be passedthrough said perforation (13) and to engage over the wire (6).
 2. Afixing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lug (24)includes a tongue (22) parallel to the base plate (21) to which it isjoined by a heelpiece (23) and the tongue (22) is at a distance from thebase plate (21) globally equal to the diameter of the wire (6) to befixed plus the thickness of the plane flange (12) of the support member(11).
 3. A fixing device according to claim 2, characterized in that thelug (24) is formed by the material originally occupying a cut-out (25)in the base plate (21).
 4. A fixing device according to claim 3,characterized in that the cut-out (25) is generally rectangular.
 5. Afixing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the tongue(22) is just above the cut-out (25) that it overlies.
 6. A fixing deviceaccording to claim 3, characterized in that the edge of the cut-out (25)facing the heelpiece (23) of the lug (24) and the edge of the base plate(21) near the heelpiece (23) are formed into inclined claws (28, 29, 58)on the same side as the lug (24).
 7. A fixing device according to claim3, characterized in that two facing edges of the cut-out (25) carryinclined claws (38, 39) on the same side as the lug (24).
 8. A fixingdevice according to claim 1, characterized in that the base plate (21)has two rims (26, 27) on the opposite side of the base plate (21) to thelug (24).
 9. A fixing device according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe base plate (21) has two rims (46, 47) on the same side of the baseplate (21) as the lug (24).
 10. A fixing device according to claim 9,characterized in that said rims (46, 47) are provided with claws (48,49).
 11. A fixing device according to claim 1, characterized in that itis designed for fixing a mesh structure in the form of a cable duct (5).12. A support and fixation system for a wire mesh cable duct (5)consisting of the combination of at least one fixing device (20)according to claim 11 and a support member (11) in which there is atleast one elongate perforation (13) in a plane flange, the at least onefixing device being pressed against the plane flange while said lug ispassed through the at least one elongate perforation so that the wireengaged in said lug is pinched between said lug and the plane flange.13. A support system according to claim 12, characterized in that thesupport member (11) has at least two perforations (13) in it, there areat least two associated fixing devices (20), and the perforations (13)are disposed on the flange (12) of the support member (13) to cooperatewith different longitudinal wires (6) of the cable duct (5).
 14. Afixing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lug (24)is formed by the material originally occupying a cut-out (25) in thebase plate (21). 15.fixing device according to claim 14, characterizedin that the cut-out (25) is generally rectangular.
 16. A fixing devicewhich can be used to fix a wire (6) to a support member (11) having aplane flange (12) in which there is at least one perforation (13), saidfixing device being made of sheet metal and comprising a globally planebase plate (21) from which emerges a lug (24) adapted to be passedthrough said perforation (13) and to engage over the wire (6), said lug(24) comprising a tongue (22) parallel to the base plate (21) to whichit is joined by a heelpiece (23), and being formed by the materialoriginally occupying a cut-out (25) in the base plate (21), the edge ofthe cut-out (25) facing the heelpiece (23) of the lug (24) and the edgeof the base plate (21) near the heelpiece (23) being formed intoinclined claws (28, 29, 58) on the same side as the lug (24).
 17. Thedevice of claim 16, wherein the tongue (22) is at a distance from thebase plate (21) globally equal to the diameter of the wire (6) to befixed plus the thickness of the plane flange (12) of the support member(11).
 18. A fixing device according to claim 16, characterized in thatthe cut-out (25) is generally rectangular.
 19. A fixing device accordingto claim 16, characterized in that the tongue (22) is just above thecut-out (25) that it overlies.
 20. A fixing device which can be used tofix a wire (6) to a support member (11) having a plane flange (12) inwhich there is at least one perforation (13), said fixing device beingmade of sheet metal and comprising a globally plane base plate (21) fromwhich emerges a lug (24) adapted to be passed through said perforation(13) and to engage over the wire (6), said lug (24) comprising a tongue(22) parallel to the base plate (21) to which it is joined by aheelpiece, and being formed by the material originally occupying acut-out (25) in the base plate (21), wherein two facing edges of thecut-out (25) carry inclined claws (38, 39) on the same side as the lug(24).
 21. A fixing device which can be used to fix a wire (6) to asupport member (11) having a plane flange (12) in which there is atleast one perforation (13), said fixing device being made of sheet metaland comprising a globally plane base plate (21) from which emerges a lug(24) adapted to be passed through said perforation (13) and to engageover the wire (6), said lug (24) comprising a tongue (22) parallel tothe base plate (21) to which it is joined by a heelpiece (23), and beingformed by the material originally occupying a cut-out (25) in the baseplate (21), wherein said base plate (21) has two rims (26, 27) on theopposite side of the base plate (21) to the lug (24).
 22. A fixingdevice according to claim 21, characterized in that it is designed forfixing a mesh structure in the form of a cable duct (5).
 23. A supportsystem for a wire mesh cable duct (5) consisting of the combination ofat least one fixing device (20) according to claim 22 and a supportmember (11) in which there is at least one elongate perforation (13) ina plane flange.
 24. A support system according to claim 23,characterized in that the support member (11) has at least twoperforations (13) in it, there are at least two associated fixingdevices (20), and the perforations (13) are disposed on the flange (12)of the support member (13) to cooperate with different longitudinalwires (6) of the cable duct (5).